OT: update: Aquaman reviews are in. James Gunn to write, possibly direct Suicide Squad 2

[Buttah304]

This was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I’m a DC fan. I’m hoping for a good flick.

It was awful.

Uh oh. I hope this isn't one of those movies that gets good reviews but the fans hate it like the superman movie with Brandon routhe. How did you get to see it early?

Amazon Prime customers could watch it yesterday at 7 at certain theatres.

It was a Michael BAy style film without the hot women and comedy

Saw it last night as well. Outside of the visuals it was one of the corniest movies that I have ever seen. The music was also dreadful throughout its entirety. Some of the action scenes were very fun but no less than 5min later we were back to over the top camp with horrible writing.

[dakomish23]

Uh oh. I hope this isn't one of those movies that gets good reviews but the fans hate it like the superman movie with Brandon routhe. How did you get to see it early?

Amazon Prime customers could watch it yesterday at 7 at certain theatres.

It was a Michael BAy style film without the hot women and comedy

Saw it last night as well. Outside of the visuals it was one of the corniest movies that I have ever seen. The music was also dreadful throughout its entirety. Some of the action scenes were very fun but no less than 5min later we were back to over the top camp with horrible writing.

Thank you. What was with that writing? It’s like they were making a parody of all action movies. Every single line was needlessly dramatic.

They even did the hero & heroine walk away but both look up at the same time at each other thing.

The audacity of some morons cheering at the end of the film.

[RHODEY]

Submariner >>> Aquaman

Imperious Rex!

[BloodyQ]

This was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I’m a DC fan. I’m hoping for a good flick.

It was awful.

Did you think the Throne of Atlantis animated movie was better than this? Because that movie was trash, the comic was way better.

[BloodyQ]

This was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I’m a DC fan. I’m hoping for a good flick.

It was awful.

Did you think the Throne of Atlantis animated movie was better than this? Because that movie was trash, the comic was way better.

Submariner >>> Aquaman

Wrong. Aquaman has better villains than Namor, better comics, much better supporting cast. But Namor is more "bad-ass" and "edgy" so he's better right? lol

[dakomish23]

This was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. I’m a DC fan. I’m hoping for a good flick.

It was awful.

Did you think the Throne of Atlantis animated movie was better than this? Because that movie was trash, the comic was way better.

That was def the worst of the animated flicks. Not sure which is worse.

They could do so much more with this story but I was predicting every scene before it happened. Just feels like a missed opportunity

[vallen]

I didnt think it was horrible at all. Wasnt great, but considering DC the bar isnt high. Its the best 2nd best movie of the series after WW. The visuals and worlds were especially done well. People always gunna hate on Aquaman. either way it doesnt bode well that the 2 hero's carrying the DC universe are WW and AM. They still need a reset, but this movie is worth seeing.

[cuyankees]

I didnt think it was horrible at all. Wasnt great, but considering DC the bar isnt high. Its the best 2nd best movie of the series after WW. The visuals and worlds were especially done well. People always gunna hate on Aquaman. either way it doesnt bode well that the 2 hero's carrying the DC universe are WW and AM. They still need a reset, but this movie is worth seeing.

Saw it tonight, had expected a bad movie and it surprised but not by much. Won't win any Oscars for writing but was decent.

Storyline parallels Black Panther (hidden super tech world emergesin open, half breed returns etc), but BP was written better and Marvel seems to just do a better job.

[DOT]

I don't really get all the hate

It's a pretty decent movie. Effects are great, fight choreography was enjoyable imo, the acting is good enough, the pacing is quick but not so fast they skip over important information, just the writing and plot is pretty bog standard action movie stuff. Also I feel like the villain was kinda weak, just sort of "evil guy wants to do evil thing cause he's evil" with a thin attempt at rationalizing his motivations for why he hates humans. It might've been great 10, 15 years ago, but in today's climate of sympathetic villains with complex personalities and interesting subplots, it's just lackluster. I still think Warner Bros really shot themselves in the foot here with trying to rush out Batman v Superman and Justice League before their universe had a chance to gestate. They're clearly capable of making good movies, I'd say this one and Wonder Woman were at least on par with the average MCU movie. Just a shame that they don't have good enough long term planning to make it all work

Also, I think the classic Aquaman suit looks kinda dumb on Momoa. Something like this

Spoiler:

works a lot better for his overall aesthetic. I get why they did it, cause that's the classic Aquaman costume, but honestly, who really cares at this point. Plus, the single pauldron look is canon, tell me this doesn't look more like Momoa as Aquaman.

Spoiler:

Perfect way to make the character seem more tough

Overall, I say 6/10. Enjoyable, but not something I really want to revisit all too much

Guess we're off to Shazam now, hopefully that's as good as it looks in the trailers, DCEU might finally be picking up steam. Might be the perfect movie to sate me between Captain Marvel and Endgame

[TBri1974]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2018/10/09/james-gunn-write-next-suicide-squad-after-being-fired-disney/1581533002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories

Big loss for Disney and huge gain for Warner Brothers

Watch on YouTube

Didn't read this thread, but just saw Aquaman. It was probably the worst - literally - movie I have ever seen in my life. I fully expect rotten tomatoes to drop this to around 12% as reviews surface. Horrendous. About 1/5th of the crowd walked out over the course of the movie.

[Dantares]

I liked it. i do see a lot of the complaints that you guys were talking about though like the corny writing and it steals a lot of elements from movies we have already seen before. IE having to get a stronger trident to defeat orm was like Harry Potter needing a stronger wand to challange voldemort, or a half blood prince challenging for the throne like Black Panther, or a mother disguised as a monster surviving all alone on an island ala How to train your dragon 2. The movie may make 1 billion dollars for WB because word of mouth seems be so strong.

but what I absolutely loved was the world building and the campy fun adventure in the vein of those old indiana jones movies. The movie also had likeable characters. Also I loved that they didn't just display Mera's water manipulation abilities. seriously she fought like a ninja with super strength in one scene. Overall 7.5/10.

[jvsimonetti0514]

I enjoyed Aquaman too. My only complaint was it was too long and the music was bad. That battle on Sicilian town went on forever and I totally zoned out. I actually liked the cheesy dialogue it reminded me of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie from the 80's/ early 90's with all those one liners. Oh and they definitely shouldn't have given him the traditional Aquaman costume that looked bad too. I don't think it was worth paying for but like a 7/10.

[DOT]

I enjoyed Aquaman too. My only complaint was it was too long and the music was bad. That battle on Sicilian town went on forever and I totally zoned out. I actually liked the cheesy dialogue it reminded me of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie from the 80's/ early 90's with all those one liners. Oh and they definitely shouldn't have given him the traditional Aquaman costume that looked bad too. I don't think it was worth paying for but like a 7/10.

Only thing I disagree with is that it felt long

The pacing was actually very good in my opinion, they crammed a lot of stuff in there, and it never felt rushed or slow, at least to me

If this is an indication of where the DCEU is going, they might have a chance to be decent

[dakomish23]

I'm going to watch it again, but this time be hammered and knowing it will be awful. Hopefully that numbs the pain of the terrible writing and overacting.

[jvsimonetti0514]

I enjoyed Aquaman too. My only complaint was it was too long and the music was bad. That battle on Sicilian town went on forever and I totally zoned out. I actually liked the cheesy dialogue it reminded me of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie from the 80's/ early 90's with all those one liners. Oh and they definitely shouldn't have given him the traditional Aquaman costume that looked bad too. I don't think it was worth paying for but like a 7/10.

Only thing I disagree with is that it felt long

The pacing was actually very good in my opinion, they crammed a lot of stuff in there, and it never felt rushed or slow, at least to me

If this is an indication of where the DCEU is going, they might have a chance to be decent

It was really only that scene that really dragged and took me out of the movie. When they decide to just follow one of the henchmen is running through the buildings it just made no sense at all. We have no attachment to random henchmen number 3 why is he getting this screen time? You probably could have saved like cut that entire part and saved like 10 minutes on TRT. I think this was a nice middle ground for them to find. BVS ended plot was wayyy too complex and Justice League was too basic. This had villains that had normal and somewhat justified motivations

[dakomish23]

A not so kind review of the movie. Agreed on the last line.

Spoiler:

Aquaman doesn’t quite hit the heights of Wonder Woman, but doesn’t sink to the depths of Justice League. It can’t really be called a good movie. At all. But it’s definitely an entertaining one; there’s a difference, and it usually comes down to the characters, or rather, the actors playing said characters.

Jason Momoa is an immensely likable guy; even when delivering the corniest of lines, he does it with a mischievous smirk, seemingly in on the joke with the audience. Love interest Amber Heard is fun and sassy, sporting the reddest hair that has ever appeared on screen.

The film starts slow; there’s a lot of backstory to explain, and it’s done through flashbacks and an unholy amount of exposition. Aquaman’s parents and their forbidden love, his lonely childhood, an enemy from the comic books is quickly introduced, while the main enemy of the film waits his turn, and Aquaman’s mentor waits in the wings for a chance to speak.

The plot scenes are a lot like video game cutscenes, but at least the action is pretty spectacular. No shaky cam or quick cuts here – every fight scene boasts a beautiful long take, the camera gliding around the chaos like a serene drone, while plaster walls burst and enemies are torn to pieces.

This is an action film that treats its story and mythology like a backdrop, never using it for anything but to get from A to B. While Aquaman is reluctantly dragged around, openly unwilling to take part in this high fantasy nonsense, this low-carb blend of Avatar and Lord of the Rings, he interrupts the stuffiest scenes with his stoner-bro shtick, usually by saying “that was awesome.”

The underwater scenes are kind of strange; they’re essentially the same as on land, except with a wavy blue filter and slight audio distortion. It’s not too distracting, but there are times when you can almost see the green screen.

I had a major problem with the visuals in this movie. Or at least, some of them. Most of them. You know those dreadful porcelain figurines so beloved by old ladies? Well, Atlantis appears to be carved out of it, with sequins and shiny plastic decorating its unfortunate citizens.

The legendary sunken city is downright hideous, like a civilization built from Dollar Store Christmas decorations, glitter coating every surface. Restraint is not a word that exists in the Atlantean vocabulary, that’s for sure. That being said, when we leave Atlantis, some of the visuals are (surprisingly) downright spectacular.

One scene where our heroes venture into the demon-filled deep trenches of the ocean is gorgeous, like a moving painting, while their time spent in Sicily is one of the prettiest sequences, and one of the best actions scenes too, involving Black Manta.

But the inclusion of Manta intrudes on the central conflict between Aquaman and his brother, the King Joffrey-esque “Ocean Master.” We get distracted from Arthur’s Arthurian family drama by Manta’s forced family drama, which feels squeezed in, one of those annoying “just wait until the sequel” villains that does little but establish himself as a threat for next time.

And annoyingly, Manta’s brief, pointless appearance completely overshadows Ocean Master, who isn’t particularly charismatic, or interesting. It is, admittedly, a really cool action scene though.

By the time the third act rolls around, the film descends into an insane CGI-fest, with almost too much occupying the scene to take in. It is good, detailed CGI with strong creature design, but it’s overwhelming; the small-scale fight scenes feel much more intense.

The film ends with Aquaman firmly established as one of DC’s strongest heroes. His story might not be sophisticated, but it seems to know what it is, and most importantly, Jason Momoa knows. Rather like Venom, the weak elements are held together by a strong central performance, a likable, charismatic center of an otherwise forgettable foray into the deep.

If only Justice League had come after these films ...

[tjumper78]

my friend who went to see it said the theater were filled with women in their 30s and there were wet floor signs everywhere for unknown reasons. i dont want to fall, so im just gonna wait a few months.

[Spree2Houston]

DC needs to stop trying to copy Marvel and invent their own style. They should've made the Nolan series as the entrance of the DCEU ala Iron Man and should've given the other DC heroes the same tone that was used for the Nolan Batman movies. I feel DCEU would be in a better place today if that had happened.

[Jeff Van Gully]

DC needs to stop trying to copy Marvel and invent their own style. They should've made the Nolan series as the entrance of the DCEU ala Iron Man and should've given the other DC heroes the same tone that was used for the Nolan Batman movies. I feel DCEU would be in a better place today if that had happened.

this X1,000,000

they had it with the nolan batman. of course, christian bale is christian bale. but they nailed everything. they REALLY should have let that be the conduit to the rest.

i'm assuming nolan maybe only wanted to do that trilogy?

edit: didn't see aquaman. don't plan to. i was disappointed with suicide squad. wonder woman interests me.

[dakomish23]

DC needs to stop trying to copy Marvel and invent their own style. They should've made the Nolan series as the entrance of the DCEU ala Iron Man and should've given the other DC heroes the same tone that was used for the Nolan Batman movies. I feel DCEU would be in a better place today if that had happened.

this X1,000,000

they had it with the nolan batman. of course, christian bale is christian bale. but they nailed everything. they REALLY should have let that be the conduit to the rest.

i'm assuming nolan maybe only wanted to do that trilogy?

edit: didn't see aquaman. don't plan to. i was disappointed with suicide squad. wonder woman interests me.

Wonder Woman is very good. On HBO right now.

Same for Justice League which I didn’t think was that bad.

Suicide Squad was just pathetic.